Athens, Ga. – Peabody has established an East Coast division to its board of directors, a group of prominent media industry leaders who provide support for the organization’s initiatives. The board will provide intellectual and idea capital and actively assist with broadening the organization’s relations and visibility with media industries, nonprofits, policy makers and the public. Launched in 2015, the board of directors are separate from the traditional board of jurors that bestows the prestigious Peabody Awards for excellence in broadcasting and digital media.

“This new board serves as a complement to our existing West Coast board and brings the totality of what we do into focus,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “Their collective experience in journalism, documentary filmmaking, radio and podcasting, nonprofit management, and issue-conscious work reflects the diverse constituencies we partner with and promote. We welcome their participation, and appreciate the board’s guidance and leadership in Peabody’s advocacy for engagement and conversation around transformative media programming year-round.”

Board members kicked off their first meeting prior to the 78th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony on May 18 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

East Coast board members are (in alphabetical order):

John Huey, Former Editor-in-Chief, Time Inc. (Chair)

Philip Balboni, CEO and Co-Executive Editor, Daily Chatter; Founder, GlobalPost

Diana Barrett, Founder, The Fledgling Fund

Caty Borum Chattoo, Director, Center for Media & Social Impact

Katie Couric, Journalist and Author

Maria Cuomo Cole, Producer

Nancy Dubuc, CEO, Vice Media

Kerri Hoffman, CEO, PRX

Dave Isay, President and Founder, StoryCorps

Paula Kerger, President and CEO, PBS

Pat Mitchell, CEO and Producer; Founder, TEDWomen & Chair, Sundance Institute board

Sheila Nevins, President, MTV Documentary Films

Michele Norris-Johnson, Founding Director, The Race Card Project & Former NPR Host

Jay Rosen, Professor, New York University

Malika Saada Saar, Senior Counsel, Civil and Human Rights, Google

Kashif Shaikh, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Pillars Fund

Neil Shapiro, President and CEO, WNET New York Public Media

Marcia Smith, Co-Founder and President, Firelight Media

About Peabody

Peabody is an organization dedicated to invigorating people through the power of stories. Founded in 1940, Peabody honors and extends conversation around stories that matter in television, radio and digital media through symposiums, screenings, podcasts and an annual awards ceremony considered to be among the most prestigious in the industry. Peabody gives awards for news, entertainment, documentaries, children’s programming, education, interactive programming and public service, which in turn encourage media to reach for and achieve the highest standards. Peabody is administered through the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. For more information, visit peabodyawards.com or follow @PeabodyAwards on Twitter.